2019-20 Philanthropy Impact Report
The Philanthropy Impact Report has Gone Virtual!
In an effort to reduce our eco-footprint and make for a more interactive reading experience, we have moved our annual Philanthropy Impact Report online!
About The Impact Report and How to Navigate This Site
The lists have been compiled to reflect all gifts and volunteer activity from July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2020, If there were any omission or errors please contact the Development Office at development@csw.org or 781-642-8645.
We hope you enjoy reading the many stories and highlights of 2020 shared on the Impact Report Home Page. Please navigate through the rest of the report by following hyperlinks in the letter, review donor lists, and read and watch clips about teaching and learning at CSW and the impact of gifts made to CSW. We are so grateful to our entire community of donors - every gift of every size truly made a difference as we navigated the 2019-2020 school year.
Thank You, CSW Community!
A Letter from Board Chair Ann Gorson and Head of School Lise Charlier
Dear CSW Community,
When we think back on the 2019-20 school year, it is hard not to jump to Spring 2020 and Mods 5 and 6 when, due to risks posed by the Coronavirus pandemic, CSW was forced to close down its campus and conduct school entirely online. But it is important to acknowledge that this time represented only a small portion of the school year. The months prior were filled with moments of excitement, pride, and great triumph, the memories of which no pandemic can erase.
It was a delight seeing alums and friends in Boston, New York, California, and on CSW’s own campus as we began our first year together at CSW. Fall 2019 also marked the official launch of CSW’s 6x6 Module System and PACE: Promoting Awareness and Community Engagement, a landmark program designed to ensure that all CSW students develop self-awareness, social consciousness, healthy living habits, life skills, and leadership that will serve them into adulthood.
Students put on an incredible production of Alice in Wonderland at Family Visit Weekend; CSW Robotics made it to the quarterfinals in their first tournament of the 2020 season; Mandarin teacher Po-Wei Weng and Photographer teacher Tony Loreti shared discoveries from their research abroad through Alorie Parkhill Learning and Travel Fund; Rock/Pop paid tribute to the music of Paramore and Radiohead at Evening of the Arts; dancers stunned audiences with Sonder, the 2020 Dance Concert; our Junior State of America (JSA) chapter was named Chapter of the Year; and the gryphons of the Boys’ Varsity Basketball squad won the Massachusetts Bay Independent League (MBIL) Championship. Not too bad for one year!
After the pandemic hit, the school was challenged like never before, but managed to overcome that challenge with courage, strength, and great resilience. When it became clear that it would not be possible to reopen school after Spring Break, administrators worked together to create an innovative, flexible, equitable academic program for our students. Teachers worked overtime to redesign their courses and transition to an online format. Parents, donors, alumni/ae, grandparents, and friends, came together for the CSW Day of Giving and the days that followed to offer invaluable encouragement and financial support.
And so now, we thank you for helping us lay the groundwork for moments of celebration and joy and supporting us in times of great adversity and challenge. It is your continued partnership that gives us the strength we need to persevere through whatever comes our way. We are so grateful to have you by our side and are proud to share with you the impact of your philanthropic support at CSW.
Ann Gorson
Chair of the Board
Lise Charlier
Head of School
Our Mission
The Cambridge School of Weston's mission is to provide a progressive education that emphasizes deep learning, meaningful relationships and a dynamic program that inspires students to discover who they are and what their contribution is to their school, their community and the world.
Our Values
Inclusion
CSW’s core values guide the way we interact with each other, and with the community at large. They have been designed through a highly collaborative and iterative process, and are deliberately aspirational in nature.
As a community, we value:
Student-centered teaching and learning
As a community, we value:
Student-centered teaching and learning
We recognize the potential of every human being, and are committed to helping each student cultivate their unique interests and passions.
Progressive education
Progressive education
We believe that students learn best through active engagement and a process-oriented approach that emphasizes multiple perspectives, wrestling with complexity, and creative problem-solving.
Diversity
We know that the extraordinary education we offer is possible only because of the varied ethnicities, races, socioeconomic classes, religions, family structures, sexual orientations, physical abilities, gender identities, learning styles and other identities that make up our community.
Equity
We purposefully engage in equitable practices, working to provide opportunity for individual and shared success.
Inclusion
We value each voice in our community—listening, understanding, challenging, and engaging each other as we work together to shape every aspect of the CSW experience.
Empathy
We are invested in each other’s well-being and social and academic growth.
Global engagement
We believe in the power of the CSW community to help create a more just and sustainable world.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2019-20
Allie Altman P'12
Treasurer; Chair, Finance Committee
James Bonsey
Christine Chamberlain'63
Vice Chair of the Board
Howard Cooper P'15 '20
Philip DeNormandie '67
William Feng'20
Boarding Student Representative
John Finnerty P'21
Michael Flanagan P'20 P'22
Ann Gorson P’16
Chair of the Board
Cynthia Harmon
Snowden Henry P'16 '18
Chair, Governance Committee
Ben Ibbetson
Faculty Representative
Eli Keehn
Faculty Representative
Chin Lin P'18
Secretary
Ruby Russell'20
Boarding Student Representative
Jesse Tauriac P'19
John Thomspon P'05 '07
Chair, Development Committee
Daniel Wolf '65
Alana Zola '09
Summary of Giving
FY20 Total Fundraising Results: $1,146,000
The Year in Review
- CSW began the year remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, before transitioning to in-person school in October 2020.
- CSW Junior State of America (JSA) was named Chapter of the Year for the second year in a row.
- The school gathered a Racial Equity Task Force comprised of students, parents, alums, faculty, and staff to assess the state of racial equity at CSW and offer recommendations for improvement.
- Thanks to generous donations from parents and friends of the school, the Music Department officially opened their new state-of-the-art recording studio.
- Led by donors David Mugar '59 and Diane Garthwaite P'99, the school earned the green light to begin renovations on the Kluchman Lobby to make it more welcoming and accessible to all.
- Community members participated in April's CSW Giving Day, raising over $188,000 in 24 hours.
- CSW awarded $3.5 million in financial aid
2019-20 Highlights
Alorie Parkhill Learning and Travel Fund for Teachers
Established by Rebecca Parkhill ’85, P'17 and Robert Willett P'17 (parents of Oliver Willett ’17), the Alorie Parkhill Learning and Travel Fund for Teachers was created to honor former faculty member and assistant head of school Alorie Parkhill. The 2019-20 grantees personify a love of learning and the school’s core values of progressive education and global engagement.
Mandarin teacher Po-Wei Weng traveled through Asia and Europe to discover how global education is perceived, defined, and implemented around the world, and photography teacher Tony Loreti researched the state of fashion design in London, Paris, and Milan — an exploration that has inspired a NEW “Photographing Fashion” course, which we are very excited about.
Mods 5 & 6: GryphOnline
Through GryphONLINE, CSW’s virtual learning program, we aim to build and maintain community, engagement, and connection between students, faculty, staff, and families. Our purpose is to provide an educational experience that fosters growth, academic independence, creativity, flexibility, and resilience. Students will continue to engage with their courses and acquire content knowledge, skills, strong study habits, and research skills. As we work together, yet apart, CSW remains focused on the individual student experience within our larger learning community.
Program Highlights:
Program Highlights:
- A daily schedule strategically designed to make learning accessible to students all over the world.
- Built-in time for social engagement and community check-ins.
- A curated balance of screen time and active learning each day.
- Streamlined, easy-to-use learning tools.
- Opportunities for both synchronous and asynchronous learning.
- Clear and consistent classroom expectations.
Celebrating the Class of 2020
Click the image above to learn more about how CSW honored and celebrated the Class of 2020 in this most unique of years!
-
-
-
-
-
College Destinations for the Class of 2020!
It’s our sincere pleasure to share the college destinations for the Class of 2020. Our list is not only incredibly strong but features a breadth of schools that is both extraordinary and unprecedented, evidencing our commitment to fit as the central tenant of this process.Read More -
-
-
CSW Celebrates the Class of 2020!
Schools across the country had to get creative with their graduations this year, and CSW was no exception.Read More -
-
-
-
CSW Welcomes New Faculty and Staff
CSW is excited to welcome several new faculty and staff members to the community this fall.Read More -
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
2020 Michael H. Feldman '67 Social Justice Day
Michael H. Feldman '67 Social Justice Day at CSW serves as a permanent memorial to a young, socially conscious, highly motivated, and engaging CSW alumnus. This year’s focus was supposed to be the American criminal justice system, but given the current state of the world and the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the Social Justice Day Committee decided to postpone this topic for 2021, and instead turn the school’s attention towards COVID-19, exploring the disease through the lens of activism and social justice.
On Wednesday, April 22, Students began the day in advisory groups where they read and discussed articles highlighting the manner in which the coronavirus pandemic has exposed and exacerbated existing social inequities. Later, the school community gathered for a virtual assembly, to hear directly from Palika Makam, Senior Program Coordinator, United States at WITNESS in Brooklyn, NY. In her address, Makam talked about her own trajectory as an activist and shared insights, strategies, and ideas for budding activists to implement in their own lives.
After the keynote, students, faculty, and staff were able to choose from 10 breakout student- and faculty-led forums to discuss specific aspects of the coronavirus pandemic as they relate to issues of social justice. Forum topics included: price gouging, PPE’s, xenophobia, issues of race and class, systemic structures, ableism, and environmental racism.
On Wednesday, April 22, Students began the day in advisory groups where they read and discussed articles highlighting the manner in which the coronavirus pandemic has exposed and exacerbated existing social inequities. Later, the school community gathered for a virtual assembly, to hear directly from Palika Makam, Senior Program Coordinator, United States at WITNESS in Brooklyn, NY. In her address, Makam talked about her own trajectory as an activist and shared insights, strategies, and ideas for budding activists to implement in their own lives.
After the keynote, students, faculty, and staff were able to choose from 10 breakout student- and faculty-led forums to discuss specific aspects of the coronavirus pandemic as they relate to issues of social justice. Forum topics included: price gouging, PPE’s, xenophobia, issues of race and class, systemic structures, ableism, and environmental racism.
Action Steps for Racial Justice at CSW
The following is an evolving list. We will continue to add items here as community conversations continue with the work of a task force.
We commit to:
- Offering new and different forms of support: spaces to express and listen, and spaces in which to work towards change.
- Convening a Racial Equity Task Force to examine our policies, practices, pedagogy, programs, and curricula, and propose any necessary changes to ensure CSW supports the needs of our black and brown students, faculty, and staff.
- Consistent, ongoing cultural competency and racial literacy training for adults across all departments.
- Collecting data that will guide our work towards racial equity at our school. Some of the areas we will examine include: the admissions process; access in all aspects of the school program; the college counseling process; academic advising and support; residential life; health & counseling; and leadership opportunities.
- Engaging in required anti-racist education with our students and adults, through the curriculum, additional programming, and professional development for faculty and staff.
- Sharing resources for how to advance learning and engage in larger movements happening around our country.
- Providing greater access to a wider range of families, with a special focus on recruiting black and African-American students, faculty, and staff.
Class of 2020 Community Garden
In 2019-20, working closely with Head of School Lise Charlier, members of the Senior Parent Class Committee identified a unique opportunity to respond to this particular moment in time: a community garden meant to provide additional space for teaching, learning, and gathering.
Located between the Art Building and the Garthwaite Center for Science and Art, this garden — which we are naming the Class of 2020 Resilience Garden — honors and commemorates the Class of 2020, serving as a symbol of grace and resilience through times of challenge.
Thanks to many parents, the Senior Class Gift raised $43,000!
Located between the Art Building and the Garthwaite Center for Science and Art, this garden — which we are naming the Class of 2020 Resilience Garden — honors and commemorates the Class of 2020, serving as a symbol of grace and resilience through times of challenge.
Thanks to many parents, the Senior Class Gift raised $43,000!
The Cambridge School of Weston is a progressive high school for day and boarding students in grades 9–12 and PG. CSW's mission is to provide a progressive education that emphasizes deep learning, meaningful relationships, and a dynamic program that inspires students to discover who they are and what their contribution is to their school, their community and the world.